Provincial Archives of Alberta

In 1906 the Provincial Library of Alberta was established along with the Provincial Archives. The library acquired both archival and published material, and there is evidence that Katharine Hughes served as the Provincial Archivist as early as 1908. In 1962, the Government of Alberta established a Museums Branch, which began to accept records from government and private sources in 1963. In 1964 major acquisitions such as, the Harry Pollard photographic collection, were acquired by the Provincial Archives. In 1965, Hugh A. Taylor was appointed Provincial Archivist, and the Provincial Museum and Archives officially opened on December 6, 1967. The new building was constructed under the Confederation Memorial Grants program. More technical, professional and administrative staff were added during the year, and acquisitions continued to build. Over the years, the Provincial Archives came under the umbrella of various departments, such as the Department of Culture, and the Department of Community Development. The Provincial Archives of Alberta outgrew its space and began to warehouse collections, and the need for a new building became apparent. The Archives officially opened the doors to its new location at 8555 Roper Road in Edmonton on October 5, 2003.

Total Volume: 42,425 linear metres of government textual records, 5,670 linear metres of private textual records, 66,820 maps, 30,060 architectural drawings, 2,219,177 photographic images, 56,111 hours of sound recordings, 68,694 hours of film and video materials and 13,449 volumes of library holdings
Inclusive Dates: 1795 - current
Predominant Dates: 1841 - current

As the primary repository for Alberta's documentary heritage, the Provincial Archives of Alberta acquires, preserves, arranges, describes, and makes available for research, records of enduring value generated by the Government of Alberta, as well as records from the private sector relating to the history of Alberta. Media preserved includes: manuscripts, photographic images, tape recordings, maps, microform, and moving images. Private sector records include personal papers of noteworthy Albertans, business records, church records, labour records, and records of various organizations.

Full service: Tuesday to Saturday, 9:00 am - 4:30 pm. Reference Room only (limited service): Wednesday, 4:30 pm-9:00 pm. No retrievals between 11:30 am and 1:00 pm, and after 3:30 pm. Closed on statutory holidays.